Deficits and alterations in overall visual resolution were assessed by means of spatial contrast sensitivity measurement in patients having a variety of toxic, inflammatory, degenerative, or congenital retinal and neuro-ophthalmological disorders of the visual system. Preliminary findings indicate that visual disorders of diverse etiologies may produce similar types of spatial contrast sensitivity deficits, suggesting that contrast sensitivity testing cannot be used as a stand-alone diagnostic tool. However, these same findings indicated that for monitoring central field resolution during medical treatment, forced-choice contrast sensitivity measurement was superior to conventional methods (e.g., visual acuity and Amsler grid).